Netizen 24 NGA: Nine more now make it to smart cities list

Nine more now make it to smart cities listDipak K DashBihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim got an additional city each in comparison to what they were initially allotted based on their urban population. UP got the maximum share with threeâ"Bareilly, Saharanpur and Moradabadâ" out of the nine new cities. | TNN | Updated: Jan 20, 2018, 00:33 IST

Highlights

UP got the maximum share with three- Bareilly, Saharanpur and Moradabad- out of the nine new cities

Moradabad finds a place in the list of 9 new cities added to the list NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday added nine more cities from six states and Union territories to its smart city project after rejecting the nomination of several cities which failed to meet the benchmarks set by the government. While four cities nominated by UP could not get selected, one each from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra could not make it to the list of total 99 cities. Some states loss meant gains for others. Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim got an additional city each in comparison to what they were initially allotted based on their urban population. UP got the maximum share with three- Bareilly, Saharanpur and Moradabad- out of the nine new cities. The other six cities were Erode in Tamil Nadu, Bihar Sharif in Bihar, Silvasa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Diu in Daman and Diu, Kavarati in Lakshadweep and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. Delhi's neighbours Ghaziabad and Meerut, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's constituency Rae Bareli and Rampur, which was reportedly pushed hard by SP strongman Azam Khan could not find place in the list. "It was made clear from day one that there will be no compromise in the standards set for competition," said an official of urban affairs ministry. West Bengal did not submit any new proposal after New Town Kolkata which made it to the list of Smart Cities in May 2016. New Town is yet to incorporate a special purpose vehicle or appoint a project management consultant to take forward the task. Get latest news & live updates on the go on your pc with News App. Download The Times of India news app for your device.